I have written about Anna's Retrovelo Paula before, but I was not able to evaluate the ride after what was only a couple of minutes on a cold November day. This time around it was summer, and Anna and I went on a nice long trip along the Danube - she on her Retrovelo Paula and me on the Steyr Waffenrad (the bike I ride while in Vienna). Our ride was 30-miles round trip, and for a stretch of it we swapped bikes.
Here is Anna on her beautiful bike.
I must pause and mention here that she was wearing a stunning outfit taylor-made for her in India: slate blue kaftan, white trousers and white cape. It looked elegant and kept her cool on what turned out to be a very hot day.
But back to the bikes: neither the
Retrovelo nor the vintage bike I was riding had a problem with the magnitude of the ride, which did include occasional (but mild) hills.
We rolled out of Vienna and passed through the beautiful countryside of Klosterneuburg, Krietzendorf, eventually stopping at a scenic spot in Greifenstein.
Here is me with the
Retrovelo Paula during our trip. This dog decided to join us for a bit - no doubt because he liked the bike!
Anna's feet and sandals. My main impression of the
Retrovelo Paula is that it is a comfortable ride with a feel of gliding to it. The bicycle is clearly well-made and of high quality. It rode very differently from the vintage Austrian bike I was on, but similarly to my
Pashley back home (
after the
latest round of modifications I made to the
Pashley). Prior to its latest modifications, I would say my
Pashley was more sluggish than the
Retrovelo Paula, but post-modifications they are about the same. One interesting point, is that I did not feel a huge difference in "cushiness" between the
Delta Cruiser tires that I had been riding on my vintage bike, and the
Fat Frank tires on the
Retrovelo; to my surprise the ride quality was similar.
Overall I liked the
Retrovelo Paula, and found its ride quality to be in the same general category as that of
Pashley and
Velorbis. I think that between the three of these, preferences really depend on individual tastes more than anything else. I know of one former
Pashley owner who tried the
Retrovelo, liked it better, and has now gotten one (and is selling her
Pashley). However, I do not feel the same, and wonder how much of the difference she felt is component and setup-related. The
Retrovelo is a very pared-down bike in comparison to the
Pashley, and I think the choices of tires and gearing further contribute to the sportier feel of the ride if we compare their "out of the box" set-ups - but all of that can be changed, and I feel that the basic ride quality is similar.
In terms of manufacturing quality, I would rate
Retrovelo as being on par with
Pashley and better than
Velorbis. Aesthetically, I think the
Retrovelo has hands-down the
best fork-crown design and lugwork of the three, but it has a few practical drawbacks - such as a lack of chaincase and dressguard. As for weight, the
Retrovelo Anna was riding felt to me as if it weighed exactly the same as my
Pashley at home; it is not a light bicycle by any means.
Other random notes... The
Retrovelo has handlebars that to me feel unusually wide, a bit like cruiser bars. Some may like this, others may not. The braking system is hand-activated hub brakes. If you are a coaster brake fan keep that in mind, but I know that some dislike coaster brakes and will see this as great news. The bicycle is equipped with dynamo lighting, front and rear.
The bottom line is: the
Retrovelo is an excellent modern bicycle built in the classic tradition. It is fairly fast and maneuverable, comfortable, gorgeous, and its owners love it. If it is within your budget, I doubt that you will regret choosing this bike.
But... I have yet to find a modern bike with a ride quality I like better than my vintage
Raleigh DL-1 or the vintage
Steyr Waffenrad I ride in Austria. I honestly wish that wasn't so, as I'd feel more comfortable riding a reliable modern bicycle than a vintage one. But it is as if the modern designs did something to the geometry of the bikes that has made them less efficient than their vintage equivalents. Maybe someday I will figure it out.
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